


"Why Me?"

by IcannotbelieveIamhere



Series: Olicity High School Fragments [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Mathematics, Olicity Secret Santa 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 00:51:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17193392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcannotbelieveIamhere/pseuds/IcannotbelieveIamhere
Summary: Felicity helps Oliver with his Math homework.  She has no idea why he's asked her to have a soda after school.  Together they explore their strengths and weaknesses and come to a better understanding of each other.





	"Why Me?"

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wrldtravler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wrldtravler/gifts).



> This is my Olicity Secret Santa gift for wrldtravler.
> 
> It's my first attempt at a High School AU. I've attempted to keep Oliver and Felicity in character but I've also adapted for their age and the fact they're still trying to figure so many things out about the world. 
> 
> Thank you to realityisoverrated for checking whether my High School terminology made sense as I'm not from the USA and my knowledge was based on tv shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Felicity Smoak wasn’t sure what was going on. What am I doing here? Why choose me? What did I do? Why me?

Felicity stared at her Raspberry Soda and then up at the boy sitting opposite her in the retro 50’s diner. They sat in a booth with a hard shiny metal table and red leather covered seats. Oliver Queen was smiling at her in between sipping his emerald green Lime Soda.

Felicity tried not to look at Oliver’s large arm muscles but they were quite distracting. They were part of the reason he was captain of the Starling Prep Basketball Team, even though he was a Junior. The other girls had told her that usually only Seniors were given that role. Oliver was tall and agile and had been part of the team for many years. It wasn’t just his physical features which had earned him the role of team captain however. Oliver also had a reputation of being able to encourage his team to work together well and help each other out, both on the court and off the court.

Felicity had only seen Oliver the first time, the year before, when she had arrived in Starling City as a Sophomore and had been accepted into Starling Prep on a scholarship. When she started school, the girls had talked about Oliver all the time and how strong he was and how big all his muscles were. She still overheard stories about Oliver, even though the girls didn’t talk to her much now.

Felicity often saw Oliver at the diner. She had to pass it each day as she walked home from school. He was always with a different girl. They were mostly from school but not always. They seemed really interested in him. He smiled and laughed and seemed happy, but she couldn’t figure out why he didn’t have a regular girlfriend, like some of the other boys in her year.

Felicity stared back at her soda. Earlier she’d been trying to decide whether to have a raspberry soda or a mint chocolate chip milkshake. She chose the soda because it reminded her of her first meeting with Oliver. She had been sitting in a corner of the school library, working on her homework and chewing on a red pen.

She was so caught up in her work, Oliver had startled her when he had tapped her on the shoulder. She’d dropped her red pen and had been embarrassed when Oliver picked it up for her. She looked at his beautiful blue eyes and thanked him.

“I don’t know why I chew on pens. I guess it’s better than chewing on my nails but I don’t know how to break the habit. Can I help you? No one usually talks to me. I don’t know the cool things to say. I should probably stop talking now.”

Oliver smiled and laughed softly. It was a gentle and reassuring laugh. It wasn’t like the mean laughs the girls had subjected her to when she wanted to work rather than play. She didn’t understand why students in such an elite school seemed to have no interest in actually learning. She loved learning and she had to get good grades in order to stay at this school. She had big plans for college but she had no hope of getting a college scholarship unless she got high marks from a well known high school. Her mother couldn’t afford to send her to college and worked two jobs just to pay the rent.

“I’m having trouble with a Math problem. They told me you were the person to see.”

Felicity relaxed. “Sure, I can help you with that.”

“I’m not good at Math. I can’t figure out why I even need to learn Algebra, or why this equation means anything in my life.”

Felicity looked at the piece of paper which Oliver showed her. Together they worked through the equation. Felicity explained the connection between Algebra and the real world and showed Oliver what type of problems the equation could be used for, to solve problems in real life. Oliver listened to her and took her seriously. She wasn’t used to this.

The next day Oliver had come to her with another Math problem and they had worked through it together. Their Math sessions became a regular event. Felicity wasn’t sure what to make of the whole situation. She overheard whispers from the girls wondering what was going on. She was too scared to say anything to them, just in case she made things worse or said something that would get back to Oliver and upset him.

Oliver had claimed he wasn’t good at Math, but Felicity could see this wasn’t true. Oliver wasn’t good at things when he couldn’t see the point of doing them. Once Felicity explained the meaning behind the Math, his brain started making connections and he was able to work through the problems logically.

Felicity had learnt a few other things about Oliver during their Math sessions. He wasn’t just famous for being the captain of the Basketball Team. He was also part of one of the richest families in Starling City. His father wanted him to join the family business and had chosen all his subjects and told him which college he would be going to. Oliver wasn’t happy about this.

Felicity was hesitant to reveal very much about her life but would answer direct questions if Oliver asked her. She had told Oliver that she and her mother had moved from Las Vegas at the start of her Sophomore year. Her father had left them when she was seven. She was Jewish. She was allergic to nuts and she was afraid of kangaroos. She wasn’t very good at small talk so she mostly talked about Math problems.

Oliver’s invitation to the diner was a complete surprise. She’d agreed and then ran out of the library. And now, here she was, alternating between looking at Oliver and her soda. She still couldn’t figure it out. Why me?

When Felicity looked up again Oliver had a bemused expression on his face.

“Did I just say that out loud?” Felicity whispered. She had no idea why she was whispering.

“Yes, you did,” Oliver grinned. “You’re really cute when you do that. And honest.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s one of the things I like about you. Your words always have so much meaning.”

“Wow. Most people at school hate it when I talk. That’s why I keep myself hidden. I was okay for a few weeks after I arrived, but then things became so overwhelming. No-one seemed to want me around. They didn’t think I deserved to be at Starling Prep.”

“I’m glad you’re here.”

“Yes, otherwise you’d be failing Math.” Felicity tried to be speak lightly, but realised she’d said the wrong thing again.

Oliver looked hurt and Felicity felt horrible.

“It’s more than Math. I like talking with you. You’re trying to figure out why I asked you to have a soda with me…I wanted a chance to talk to you about things other than Math. I know we do that sometimes in the library, but I wanted a place where we could just relax.”

“You bring lots of girls here.”

Felicity was embarrassed. She’d said the wrong thing again. She shouldn’t say things like that. She wondered whether she should get up and leave.

“The other girls aren’t like you. They only talk about themselves and what they want to do. They don’t ask me how I feel, they just ask me to take them places and make all sorts of requests I won’t repeat. They’re shallow. They don’t care about anything real.”

Oliver paused and stared deeply into Felicity’s eyes.

“You’re much more mature than the other girls,” Oliver continued, “I know you’re the same age as me, but you seem so much older. You think about other people. You hardly ever talk about yourself. You talk about issues in the real world and help me make sense of things, way more than just Math. I wanted a chance to say thank you. Buying you a soda is the least I can do. Maybe this is a chance to figure out what else I can do to say thank you.”

“Wow,” Felicity said, “Saying thank you is enough for me. I never expected anything else. I’ve enjoyed our discussions. I like being on my own, but occasionally it gets lonely. It’s great to talk to someone who doesn’t tease me for being good at Math or other stuff.”

Felicity thought for a moment.

“If you want to thank me, get an A in Math…..go to the college you want, not the one your father wants.”

“Where do you want to go to college?” Oliver asked.

“M.I.T.” Felicity said. She explained to Oliver about her plans to work in computer programming and medical technology. She wanted to improve medical implants like pacemakers and had ideas for new types of implants.

“That sounds like a wonderful goal,” Oliver said excitedly. “What sort of help will you need to do that?”

Felicity looked down at her soda again. The liquid was so sweet and she was so happy to be with Oliver, but now she had to admit her faults to him, if she was going to be honest about her career hopes. She wasn’t really this mature girl he thought she was.

“Felicity, why aren’t you smiling any more?” Oliver said in a concerned voice.

“I don’t have all the skills I need to carry out all the projects,” she said quietly.

Oliver looked confused but very interested.

“You won’t be alone,” Oliver reassured her, “There’ll be other people on the project team to help you.”

“That’s the problem,” Felicity said desperately, “I don’t know how to work with a team. It’s always been too hard for me. I don’t know the right things to say and how to share and how to work with people and not order them around. I want to work with others and encourage their ideas, but I always mess things up or other people don’t pull their weight and I get frustrated. It’s crazy, but sometimes I want to be in a team activity and I can’t. If I can’t do it now, how am I going to help people later on.”

Oliver stared at Felicity thoughtfully as he finished his soda.

After a few deep breaths Felicity felt calmer and continued her story.

“When I started at Starling Prep, the teachers put me into groups to do team projects. They gave up at the end of the first semester after a few disasters and let me do all the team projects as individual assignments. I had time to do all the sections of the assignments on my own, partly because I work quickly and partly because I don’t do much outside school time…..Although I did sneak into a few of your games.”

Oliver smiled. His eyes lit up.

“I saw you sitting up the back.”

Felicity gasped.

“I notice things,” Oliver explained, “It’s how I keep my team working together. I look , I listen, I think, I learn, I help and I encourage.”

Felicity listened to Oliver carefully. He wasn’t showing off or gloating. He was speaking calmly, clearly and very matter-of-factly. Oliver’s eyes widened as if an idea had come to him.”

“Felicity, if there was one team activity you’d like to do this year, what would it be?”

Felicity thought deeply for a moment as she finished her soda.

“I’d love to be in the Math Olympics, but I can’t. You have to have two people and travel all over Starling City and beyond and my mom can’t afford the time or the gas money for it, let alone the entry fee.”

Felicity heard the tingle of the bell over the door of the diner. A tall dark man walked in and headed towards their booth. The staff greeted him warmly and a waitress handed over a takeout milkshake to him.

“Felicity, I can help you with that,” Oliver said.

“What do you mean?”

Felicity wasn’t expecting any more from Oliver than any of the other girls received. One soda at the diner and then nothing.

“You said you needed two people for the team. I’d be honoured if you’d allow me to be your partner in the Math Olympics. You can help me with Math and I’ll teach you about team work.”

Felicity was stunned. She didn’t want to miss out on a chance to spend more time with Oliver.

“Yes, of course, but what about the………” Felicity stopped. For a moment she’d forgotten who Oliver’s family was. Their money had never really meant anything to her, and she’d never dream of taking advantage of it. The tall dark man arrived at their table and looked at Oliver.

“Good afternoon Mr Queen.”

“Hello Mr Diggle. This is Felicity Smoak. She’s going to be my partner in the Math Olympics.”

Mr Diggle smiled and held out his right hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Smoak. I’ve never seen Mr Queen so interested in Math before.”

Mr Diggle smiled.

“Thank you,” Felicity said as she shook Mr Diggle’s hand.

“Mr Diggle is my driver,” Oliver said. “He’ll be happy to take us to the competitions.”

“But what about your basketball games?” Felicity gasped.

“I’m sure my father can use his influence in Starling City to get the schedules changed. He’ll be delighted I’m taking an interest in an academic competition and be happy to move the basketball games to fit in with it.”

“And what about the out of town Math competitions?”

“Did I mention my dad’s company has a private jet?”

“You have an answer for everything.” Felicity said.

“That’s the only way to win.” Oliver replied.

“Thank you.”

“Mr Queen, we need to leave now. Miss Smoak, it was a pleasure meeting you. I look forward to looking after your travel arrangements. You just concentrate on winning the competition. You are quite impressive.”

“And remarkable,” Oliver added.

Felicity smiled.

“I think all three of us are going to make a great team.” Felicity said.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.
> 
> Comments and kudos are welcome.
> 
> Suggestions are welcome and assistance with how High School works is also appreciated.


End file.
